This sunday spotlight shares the link to these great QR stories with audio links for the ready to read books in New Zealand. A great resource to use in 'listen to reading' time if you are do daily 5 in the classroom. Or just a great independent activity to have going for students to listen to stories. Even better if they can read along with the text version handy. 

Google slides has added a new update - audio! You can now add audio files directly into your slide presentations. No more finding links, using QR codes, or uploading to youtube and then inserting! Simply use these straight from your Google drive! Easy to use and know when you have them on the slide, there will be a little speaker icon showing you where the file is. 

Did you know that you have free access to slides I have used in presentations?
These are shared in my free to access, Google drive shared resource library. A google drive folder with resources, ideas, links and templates anyone can access, download and make a copy of!
Finding resources to help up skill can be tricky. And everyone has their own take on things. But i love presenting and sharing my ideas with others so have created copies for others to use in the classroom. 
This is countless hours of presentation creation - free for you to use to up skill or read through. If you would like to use something in your own presentations, please contact me to let me know and ensure you leave all credit (or make credit back) to Mrs Priestley ICT. Have a peek - there might be something you can learn!

Google Slides are a great way to create and build your own templates for students or your classroom. Google Slides has many easy to use tools that can be used to develop and build a template for activities, learning, worksheets and follow ups. They could then be pushed out or exported to apps like Seesaw or Google Classroom for students to complete to show their learning. 

Find 5 Google Slide deck templates that you can use in your classroom. These are all free to access, make a copy of and use in your classroom! Something for everyone!

1. Seesaw activity templates
This slide deck is by far my biggest compilation of templates made on Google Slides for activities on Seesaw, or to be used by students in activities or follow ups. This has more than 750 templates that can be downloaded, exported, shared and used by teachers and students from various year levels! This is a giant resource for you to use!
​Access the templates here!

3. Spelling Templates
These templates are great for your spelling programme. Each of these can be exported and used in Seesaw, Google Classroom or as a worksheet! Great for any classroom or student age level. 
Make a copy here!

4. Reading Templates
These reading templates are great for responses with reading activities! Main ideas, KWL, what happened next and more! Loads of templates to help with reading activities!
​Make a copy here!

5. Prepositions and Vocabulary
These templates are great for students to work on key ideas around vocabulary! Students can drag the right word or sentence to represent the picture; or finish the sentence. 
Make a copy here!

Plus many more available on my website and in my shared Google Drive Resource Library! Visit it today for loads more ideas you can use. 

Arabella's Adventures is my Google Innovator project that came about this year. I designed (and published) the first of a technology themed picture book series; aimed at targeting key digital ideas with junior students. I really wanted to find a way to help increase awareness and skills with junior students, as quite often teachers are so busy with the core skills, safe digital practices are either left out, or taught in a limited capacity. So Arabella's Adventures was formed!

Find all the information about Arabella's Adventures below and on the website!

This year I have been working with teachers in my school to up skill them around digital competency and fluency in all areas. This is also my scope for my Masters project which I am currently studying (due to finish June, 2020). 
As part of up skilling teachers, some feedback was around a crash course, or online lessons that they could follow to build key skills around Google Apps. There are already lots out there (some are paid/free) and it really is about making one that best fits your needs. So I have put together the beginning of Mrs Priestley ICT online courses - a place where you can access a targeted learning around key digital themes. 

With more courses to come, I hope that this is another avenue teachers can take to learn. As always, this is always my take and interpretation of the learning and I am no way an expert. If I can help one teacher learn something new from my courses then I am happy! 

I created my templates on powerpoint with a fancy font and colour. The fonts I brought were off teachers pay teachers that I uploaded onto my computer to be able to use. You then save your text and background as an image, and upload it onto google keep as an 'add image'. It will then save it to the top of your note. 

There are lots of other great ideas floating around the internet but I hope this helps unpack it easily on how you can make it pretty yourself. 

Google forms is a simple way of involving technology into your classroom. It can be used to promote technology use in a meaningful, yet exciting way to involve students and enhance engagement. A simple way is by using it to gather student voice! This google form asks students which one they prefer - a cat or a dog. Sure you could just ask students for a show of hands; but by asking them this through a google form it could be integrated as part of your programme in a tumble, discussion time, or checkpoint that students could complete before the learning. 

I have lots of previous website posts about google forms with examples and links to ways you could use it in your classroom. This is just one way, with there being MANY different ways you could use it. Just search 'google forms' on my website to bring up all the website posts. 

Want a follow up activity for persuasive writing and this google form? Download this free template below!

Arabella's Adventures is my Google Innovator project from the #SYD19 Google Innovator academy. We needed to look at a problem we were facing, and think of a way of solving it. My problem was around junior students not receiving much teacher time with digital technologies and key skills to help them become confident and competent users. So I thought I would target this goal through a series of child directed picture books for students and teachers to use. 

Here is the first ebook of the series - How to take care of iPads. 

Get this ebook at the low cost of $3.00 for an introductory price!! This is for the first 100 customers so get in quick!! Find it here and get your copy!!

Last week I so incredibly fortunate to attend and present at the Digital Fluency Hui in Hawera, Taranaki. I delivered the keynote and four workshops around different areas. The aim being to build teacher competency and skill in anything digital; providing as much as I can with others!

I really wanted to share my presentations with you so here are the links to the workshops I ran. If you have any questions or want any further information please let me know.